Who is your favorite fictional villan?

[SidneyCarton]

Choose your media format, I'm open to all.

My picks:
Ishamael - Wheel of Time
The Mule - Foundation Series, Isaac Asimov
The Pod People from "Body Snatchers" - movie still scares the hell out of me.

How about you?

On Edit: I think I would be remiss if I did not add Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Dune) some bastards come back even when they're dead.

[ReliantJ]

1. The Devil

Just to get it out of the way

[SidneyCarton]

3. In which of the varied literary works that he has appeared.

Yes, you can be snarky and mention the Bible, (we'll agree to disagree) but I really don't find the characterization of Satan all that compelling in scripture.

[Pacifist Patriot]

5. Probably because the characterization is generally that of a lawyer.

:)

[pokerfan]

32. Al Pacino?

LOMAX: Why the law? Cut the shit, Dad. Why lawyers? Why the law?

MILTON: Because the law, my boy, puts us into everything. It's the ultimate backstage pass, it's the new priesthood, baby.

[SidneyCarton]

35. I remember watching that conversation on TV...

Yes, Pacino did the Devil justice, I would suppose old Scratch himself can't complain about that portrayal.

[Pacifist Patriot]

43. *snort* If they ever make the book of Job into a movie than Pacino is a natural for the role.

[pokerfan]

28. God

Devil's advocate

[Tommy_Carcetti]

2. I'll let James T. Kirk say it for me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMA5_op9aOA&feature=related

[SidneyCarton]

4. All joking aside, one of Trek's better villians.

Vicious, vengful, belligerent, and yet extremely intelligent and smooth. His primary flaw was hubris, which led to his ultimate downfall.

[ogneopasno]

8. He's an excellent villain. Plus, he's hawt as all get out.

[Orrex]

34. Not so much now, though

[ogneopasno]

42. Well...yeah.

[Pacifist Patriot]

6. I'm partial to the handsome ones like...

Guy of Gisborne in the utterly campy but oddly compelling contemporary BBC version of Robin Hood. Then again there is always Senator Palpatine. Way too creepy given the timing of his takeover of the Senate coinciding with the Bush administration dissing our legislature.

[ogneopasno]

9. I *love* that BBC version of Robin Hood! What a blast that is to watch.

[Pacifist Patriot]

17. *sigh* And we have to wait so bloody long in the U.S. to watch it.

I was really disappointed they moved it from a fall series to a spring one this year. Which means it may be a good year and a half since series 2 that we'll be able to view series 3.

[SidneyCarton]

12. I thought of Palpatine, but Lucas' writing does him no justice.

[Pacifist Patriot]

14. I have to agree with you there. I thought much more could have been done with that particular...

character in terms of dialogue.

[SidneyCarton]

18. Unfortunately that would require Lucas to pay attention to little things like

writing, characterization and script. More's the pity.

[Pacifist Patriot]

21. As a major Star Wars fan I was less than thrilled with the 3 prequels.

My kids love them which should tell us something.

[Lavender Brown]

66. Ooh Sir Guy

Played by Richard Armitage - not to be confused with Richard Armitage, an actual villain from the Bush Administration.

[Withywindle]

78. Speaking of versions of Robin Hood

....how about Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham?

Rawr.

[graywarrior]

7. The Vampire Lestat

[SidneyCarton]

11. Lestat is an interesting one.

I know him only through the film of Queen of the Damned, but he seems a fascinating character.

[graywarrior]

19. Reading his thoughts are very interesting

[MissMillie]

81. excellent choice!

:hi:

[charlie and algernon]

10. Nurse Ratched

Nurse Ratched: Aren't you ashamed?
Billy: No, I'm not.

Nurse Ratched: You know Billy, what worries me is how your mother is going to take this.
Billy: Um, um, well, y-y-y-you d-d-d-don't have to t-t-t-tell her, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: I don't have to tell her? Your mother and I are old friends. You know that.
Billy: P-p-p-please d-d-don't tell my m-m-m-mother.



McMurphy: Nurse Ratched, Nurse Ratched! The Chief voted! Now will you please turn on the television set?
Nurse Ratched: Mr. McMurphy, the meeting was adjourned and the vote was closed.
McMurphy: But the vote was 10 to 8. The Chief, he's got his hand up! Look!
Nurse Ratched: No, Mr. McMurphy. When the meeting was adjourned, the vote was 9 to 9.
McMurphy: Aw come on, you're not gonna say that now! You're not gonna say that now! You're gonna pull that hen house shit? Now when the vote... the Chief just voted - it was 10 to 9. Now I want that television set turned on *right now*!
*Nurse Ratched closes the glass window*

[SidneyCarton]

13. Nurse Ratched

:scared:

[NewJeffCT]

15. Darth Vader from the two original Star Wars movies

Sarumen from the LotR books and movies

[SidneyCarton]

20. Vader and Saruman...

There is something elemental in the portrayal of Vader in episodes IV and V, he is a force of nature, a creature of nightmares who influenced many (albeit mostly lame) villans to come after.

Saruman is fascinating because unlike Sauron, who is never really characterized in LoTR (he is interesting in the Silmarillion, and I wish Tolkein had had more time to develop him) Saruman is real, and he is fallen, a creature of light whose pride and greed destroyed him. In some ways his betrayal is more damning than Sauron's evil, because he battled against evil, but became beguiled of its power.

[Symarip]

16. MechaStreisand (nt)

[SidneyCarton]

22. South Park, right.

Dude, Streisand is scary enough as is, make her a cyborg and she could do battle with my governor. It'd be entertaining, really.

[Mad_Dem_X]

23. Gotta be Keyser Soze. 'Cause he got away with it.

[SidneyCarton]

24. Who is Keyser Soze?

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with him.

[Wetzelbill]

39. From the film The Usual Suspects nt

[pokerfan]

25. Film: Archibald Cunningham

from Rob Roy (played by Tim Roth)


Literary: Edmund from King Lear

[SidneyCarton]

26. If ever a prick deserved to die with a claymore to the neck it was Archie.

Truly, that's a scene I would have on instant replay.

[pokerfan]

30. a completely unredeemable character

Archibald: Think of yourself a scabbard, Mistress McGregor, and I the sword. And a fine fit you were, too.
Mary: I will think on you dead, until my husband makes you so. And then I will think on you no more.

[Wetzelbill]

38. I said him too

I didn't remember his name off the top of my head. Oh what a vile character! That film has one of the best protagonist vs antagonist dynamics in film history.

[charlie and algernon]

27. oh, how could I forget, The Joker!

one of the greatest villians of all time.

The Joker: You know, you remind me of my father.
*the Joker pulls out his switchblade and brings it to the Gentleman's mouth*
The Joker: I hated my father!
Rachel Dawes: (off-screen) Okay, stop!
(turns to face Rachel, tosses the Gentleman to his thugs and approaches Rachel, adjusting his hair with the knife)
The Joker: Well, hello, beautiful. You must be Harvey's squeeze, hm? And you *are* beautiful.
Well, you look nervous. Is it the scars? You want to know how I got 'em? Come here. Hey! Look at me. So I had a wife, beautiful, like you, who tells me I worry too much. Who tells me I ought to smile more. Who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks... Look at me! One day, they carve her face. And we have no money for surgeries. She can't take it. I just want to see her smile again, hm? I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars. So... I stick a razor in my mouth and do this...
to myself. And you know what? She can't stand the sight of me! She leaves. Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling!


The Joker: (holding a knife inside Gambol's mouth) Wanna know how I got these scars? My father was... a drinker. And a fiend. And one night he goes off crazier than usual. Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself. He doesn't like that. Not-one-bit. So - me watching - he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it! Turns to me, and he says, "why so serious, son?" Comes at me with the knife... "Why so serious?" He sticks the blade in my mouth... "Let's put a smile on that face!" And...
Why so serious?

[SidneyCarton]

29. The ultimate nihilistic sociopath.

A perfect villan, he has no real plan, he just wants chaos and suffering. He can't really fail, because every disaster he causes, even if it comes short of Armageddon, is a victory against a universe that he is attacking.

Yes, the Joker is truly one of the greats.

[Mad_Dem_X]

84. How could I forget HIM?

He's tied with Keyser Soze, then. :)

[mikeytherat]

31. Montgomery Burns

mikey_the_rat

[SidneyCarton]

33. Is he running in 2012?

He seems to be the GOP's best bet to get the youth vote out.

[derby378]

36. It's a tie between The Joker and Hannibal Lecter

Both of them are criminally insane, but have nevertheless chosen different approaches to deal with the world they live in. The Joker challenges society's notions of order and normalcy, while Dr. Lecter challenges the fears and traumas of his patients through psychiatry. Both of them would still kill you just as soon as look at you - unless you managed to do something that truly challenged and impressed them. In which case they might keep you alive until you bored them.

[Wetzelbill]

37. The Librul Media, that little prick Tim Roth plays in Rob Roy,

the white cop from N.Scott Momaday's "House Made of Dawn." "Shooter McGavin" in Happy Gilmore. Kyle Craig in James Patterson's Alex Cross novels.

TV I would say, J.R. Ewing from Dallas and Ben Linus from LOST.

on edit:

Rollo Tomasi.

[TZ]

40. Have to agree with you on Baron Harkonnen

I also think Cersei from George RR Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice" is a pretty good one too.

[MadBadger]

41. Ben Linus

[cynatnite]

44. Jack Torrence from "The Shining"

scared the hell out of me.

[Dr Fate]

45. Lex Luthor. Mr. Dreisdale. Eddie Haskill. Mr. Potter. Nurse Ratchet. Sheriff of Nottingham.

Sorry for any mis-spellings.

[SidneyCarton]

46. All excellent villans, my money goes toward Mr. Potter

Scrooge w/o redemption, the first two sprits would have kicked his pale rear and handed him over to the Ghost of Christmas Future to finish him off.

[Danger Mouse]

47. Pokey Minch from 'Earthbound' (video game) and Frank from 'Once Upon a Time in the West' (movie)

also, I've always been partial to Dr. Doom, The Joker, and Galactus from the comic books.
As far as literary? I'd go with Spender from Ray Bradbury's short story 'And the Moon Be Still as Bright,' my favorite story from my favorite collection of stories by (one of) my favorite authors.

[SidneyCarton]

49. Dr. Doom is a very interesting villan.

He's actually managed to take over the world once or twice, but got bored with it, and gave it back. Go figure.

[Danger Mouse]

53. One of the few supervillains that has diplomatic immunity.

:P

[keroro gunsou]

68. and who keeps his word...

my memory is a bit fuzzy, but some marvel character made a bet with doom, for cash... and when doom last he paid up. my thinking it was spiderman...

or he owed parking tickets or something, and spiderman was sent to collect... who knows... either way, doom paid up.

[nomorenomore08]

48. Frank Booth ("Blue Velvet"), hands down. Hilarious and chillingly evil all at once.

"Heineken?! Fuck that shit! Pabst Blue Ribbon!" is a quote that will never get old for me.

[azmouse]

50. Hans Gruber

Alan Rickman in Die Hard

He was smooth, evil and ruthless and he did it all while looking quite handsome.

[Witchy_Dem]

51. Iago and Malificent

[SidneyCarton]

52. Shakespeare and Disney's best.

[PassingFair]

54. In a book: Mr. Hyde

On TV: Any of the current bad guys on Big Love;
Roman Grant, his daughter Nicolette, and his son, Alby.

In a movie: This guy:



Carter Burke, because we ALL recognize him, don't we....

[WinkyDink]

55. TV: Dr. Miguelito Loveless ("Wild, Wild West")---Drama: Macbeth---Movie (tie): The Shark//Goldfinger

[One_Life_To_Give]

56. Snidely Whiplash (Dudly Do-Right)

Savoir-Faire (Klondiek Kat)
Boris Badenuf (Rocky and Bullwinkle)
Simon Bar Sinister(Underdog)

[mac56]

57. Dishonest John!

Nyah-ha-haaaaa!

[SidneyCarton]

58. Is that Cecil the sea-sick sea-serpent?

[mac56]

61. the same...

"'Tis I, Dishonest John!"

The best character, though, was Tearalong The Dotted Lion!

[yurbud]

59. Wes Studi as Magua in LAST OF THE MOHICANS and Tim Roth as the evil fop in ROB ROY

Studi was perfect, undiluted vengeance like a force of nature. No banter, no explaining his fiendish scheme before he acted, just terminator like focus even as he cuts his enemies beating heart out of his chest.



Tim Roth was the embodiment of the idle rich and their casual cruelty. He appears to be helplessly effeminate until a Scottish redneck challenges him to a sword fight, and Roth's character beats him while seemingly on the edge of dropping his own sword. As a foppish as he is, he's frustratingly beyond the reach of the average shmuck to retaliate against until the very end.

[SidneyCarton]

62. How could I forget Magua?

A perfect villan, no monologuing, no bombast no bull. And he was definitely no savage, he was intelligent, cunning and far more canny than any of his european opponents.

As to Roth's character, my comments on him are above.

[mitchum]

60. Iago

[SidneyCarton]

63. Iago is probably Shakespeare's best villan.

A consumate monster, cruel, vicious and too intelligent for his own good.

[mitchum]

77. Agree with you about Iago; I am also partial to Shakespeare's Cassius...

but I also argue that Cassius is not a villain

[yurbud]

64. Wesley Snipes in NEW JACK CITY. Ice T played the cop, but Snipes made being bad look a lot more

fun than being good.

[yurbud]

65. Christian Bale as the villain in SHAFT was closer to Baby Bush than Brolin in W

if you haven't seen the movie, it's eerie how much his personality is like Bush. They didn't get imaginative enough about how a rich guy could screw people though.

[SidneyCarton]

69. I remember that, a truly narcisisstic sociopath.

[yurbud]

75. for some reason, I found that scarier than his AMERICAN PSYCHO

In AP, he had a level of self-consciousness that his SHAFT character and the real W lack.

[EastTennesseeDem]

67. What difference is it of yours who my favorite villan is? Friendo.

[SidneyCarton]

70. Absolutely none Mr. Chigurh, my apologies...

*slinks away slowly*

[EastTennesseeDem]

71. What's the most you've ever lost on an internet message board?

[SidneyCarton]

74. My dignity, my sainty, my ability to whistle, a kidney (long story ask Taverner)

[blue neen]

72. Blue Duck in "Lonesome Dove"

Reading that book scared the absolute crap out of me.

[yurbud]

76. I remember him from TV version, an Indian neither noble nor savage....

Just a cruel piece of gutter trash like someone from a biker gang.

I'm used to thinking of Indian villains as some variation of Magua, a force of nature, not Blue Duck, who was just an ugly piece of humanity.

[NanceGreggs]

73. Lucas Buck

"American Gothic" series.

Mean to the bone, and sexy as hell - unbeatable combination.

[Zavulon]

79. Another vote for Hans Gruber here.

Evil, and yet really funny. :)

[backtoblue]

80. Gotta be Kathy Bates

My favorite maniac! Misery was chilling.

[Iggo]

82. Wicked Witch Of The West.

Come on, people!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

83. Heathcliff, and....

Joan Crawford, Lizzie Borden, Commodus, the Zodiac Killer, Donna D, Logand

[cemaphonic]

85. Judge Holden from Blood Meridian

in film, Darth Vader is pretty damned iconic. And there's always Frank Booth from Blue Velvet.